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The Generation Gap

Casey Miner

News: What powers our gadgets—from hair dryers to plug-in hybrids

Illustration by Otto Steininger

May/June 2008 Issue

	% OF CURRENT POWER SUPPLY	COST PER UNIT OF POWER	POTENTIAL OUTPUT	EFFICIENCY	PRIME LOCATION	CO₂ EMISSIONS	PITFALLS
Coal	48%	3 to 5¢/ kwh	U.S. reserves could last 250 years.	1:8 input-output energy ratio	Southeast	37% of U.S. total	Claims that "clean coal" can trap 90% of CO₂ emissions are unproven.
Natural Gas	22%	3 to 5¢/kwh	U.S. reserves could last more than 40 years.	1:8 input-output energy ratio	Texas, West	20% of U.S. total	Much cleaner than coal, but still a CO₂-emitting fossil fuel
Photovoltaic Solar	0.02%	18 to 25¢/ kwh	22 to 69% of total power	1:7 input-output energy ratio. PV cells are 12 to 41% efficient.	Southwest	4 to 10% of coal's*	Night, storage. Thermal plants may be more efficient but in pilot phase.
Wind	0.8%	3 to 5¢/kwh	Up to 20% of total power	Wind turbines' top efficiency is 30 to 40%.	Great Plains	0.3 to 4.4% of coal's	Intermittent wind, storage, and transmission are still issues.
Nuclear	19%	2 to 4¢/ kwh	Up to 25% of total power	Keeping nuclear power viable would cost $430 million a year.	Anywhere with water	0.3 to 2.6% of coal's	Risks of leaks and terrorist attacks. Waste disposal pricey. Politically dicey.
Hydroelectric	6%	Less than 2¢/kwh	Up to 12% of total power	Requires 300 square miles of water to produce energy for 100,000	West	0.3 to 2.8% of coal's	Environmental damage. May cause CO₂ emissions if located in forest.
Geothermal	0.4%	5 to 7¢/kwh	Up to 10% of total power	1:50 input-output energy ratio	California, West	2.4 to 10% of coal's	High infrastructure costs. Uncertainty about price and potential sites.
Biomass	1%	8¢/kwh	Up to 14% of total power	On its own, biomass is 20% efficient; burning it with coal is more efficient.	Midwest	Undetermined	Cofiring with coal emits CO₂, but less than coal emits by itself.
* measured in kg of CO₂ equivalent emitted per mwh of electricity generated

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